Directors and Managers

Moe Shore – Director of Business Development and Strategic Relations

Moe Shore joined AbelCine after 26 years with Panavision, serving as their VP of Technical Marketing & Strategy from 2004 on, and previously, as VP of Advanced Product Development.

Moe managed Panavision’s Phantom HD rollout and HD Initiative, which involved specification, deployment, product marketing and business planning of $12M in digital cameras, optics and accessories for world-wide rental distribution. He managed strategic relationships and vendor supply agreements with companies like Canon, Sony and others.

Moe also managed the Sony F23 camera rollout for Panavision. Prior to that he developed the business plan, marketing strategy, product configuration, competitive analyses and rollout for the Panavision Genesis, the high performance digital motion picture camera made in conjunction with Sony.

Jesse Rosen – Director of Technical Development

Before coming to work at AbelCine, Jesse Rosen was a client; he purchased the Aaton Super16 camera with which he shot the acclaimed independent film Trans. The film was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Reader’s Jury prize for best film.

Since then Jesse has worked on many film and television projects, including Martin Scorsese’s blues documentary, Lightning in a Bottle, as video engineer, and several documentary projects as cinematographer.

Jesse is AbelCine’s Director of Technical Development, a position that allows him to combine his background in computer science with his love of filmmaking. He is responsible for evaluating new technology of all flavors and bringing it into the company and to AbelCine clients.

Nathaniel Bonini – Director of Services

Nathaniel Bonini has worked in film production for over 20 years. He graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and began his film career as a Picture Car Assistant on the feature A Rage in Harlem.

Since then Nathaniel has developed a diverse background in production, post-production, exhibition and digital imaging, with his most recent concentration on digital cinema. Nathaniel has played an active role in the development of large screen digital imaging standards, working with the major studios, the FCC and ITU.

As Director of Services at AbelCine, Nathaniel continues to play a key role in the development and deployment of digital cinema and digital high-speed production, as well as post-production equipment and workflows.

Jonathan Epner – Director of Digital Media Services

Prior to joining AbelCine in 2006 as Director of Production Sales, Jonathan Epner served as Director of Operations for Mega Playground, a post-production facility and services company.

Jonathan previously served in a similar capacity as Director of Operations for New York Times Television from 2001 through 2005, managing all aspects of production support including budgeting, post-production, systems & technology, scheduling, human resources and labor relations.

As the Production Manager for New York Times Television, Jonathan supported the production of over 250 hours of documentary television produced for TLC, the Discovery Channel, Showtime, the Discovery Health Channel, and the Food Network from 1997 through 2002.

Jonathan has worked on various other television projects including the Genesis series with Bill Moyers, Idols of the Game for Turner Original Productions, and Turning Point for ABC. Prior to starting in television, he served as the editor of Physicians’ GenRx, a comprehensive pharmaceutical reference book and database.

In 2011, Jonathan launched AbelCine’s newly expanded Digital Media Services Department.

Jonathan attended The Johns Hopkins University and the State University of New York at Albany.

Andy Romanoff – Industry Relations / Business Development

In a career spanning almost fifty years Andy Romanoff has worked as a cameraman, equipment designer, inventor and businessman.

In 1988, he co-founded First Light Video Publishing, an instructional video company that specialized in programs on media production and produced some of the first programs on the emerging electronic cinematography cameras. In 1990, FLVP opened Louma L.A., a division specializing in the development and rental of remote control equipment for moving cameras. In 1997, Panavision purchased Louma L.A., and Andy became President of Panavision Remote Systems. In 2006, he joined the senior management team of Panavision, where he served as Executive Vice President, Technical Marketing and Strategy.

Andy is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and a long time member of the Society of Operating Cameramen. He was honored by them in 2008 with their Distinguished Service Award. He has served as the co-chairman of the PERA/ESTA industry-wide crane safety committee, drafting American National Standards (ANSI) for safe crane and remote head usage. Andy is a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, and currently serves on the Academy’s Scientific and Technical awards committee.

In addition to representing the Phantom line, Andy fosters deeper relationships with a broad array of industry groups including AbelCine’s rental house customers, professional associations and cinematographers.

Girvan Calder II – Service Department Manager / Burbank

Girvan Calder has been a member of the AbelCine Service Department since 1996. He began as an Aaton camera electronics technician and was named the NY Service Manager in 2003. Born and raised in New York, he moved west in 2007 to head the AbelCine LA Service Department.

Girvan holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (1995) from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He has served a technician and consultant on Scrubs, Sex in The City and NFL Films productions.

Jamie Alac – Technical Manager / Los Angeles

Jamie Alac is the Technical Manager, and the lead Digital Cinema Specialist and Phantom Technician at AbelCine LA.

Originally from Perth, Australia, Jamie has worked as a camera operator on projects such as the West Australia Rally Car Championships, Drivetime TV and The Garden Gurus. He has also worked as an underwater camera operator, shooting the Tom Hoad Water Polo Cup, as well as a documentary about Australia’s spectacular Ningaloo reef, Ningaloo Dreaming.

In his free time, Jamie enjoys filming sports such as snowboarding and surfing, and is a practicing still photographer.

Mike Nichols – Rental Department Manager / NY

Before joining the rental department at AbelCine in June of 2008, Mike was the head of production for a commercial production company in SoHo, Zooma Zooma. Zooma Zooma was co-founded by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and Joseph Mantegna. Clients included Nike, McDonalds, Sony and Kodak.

Mike earned his B.A. in Film Production at Brooklyn College, where he was the president of the Film Society. His first professional job was as a production assistant on the Robert DeNiro film, A Bronx Tale. In 2000, he was invited to the Cannes Film Festival as part of Kodak’s Emerging Filmmakers Program and has attended the festival every year since. In 2011, Mike’s first feature film, BreadCrumbs was released worldwide.

Jeff McLeod – Rental Department Manager / Burbank

Jeff McLeod has a broad range of experience working in the film industry as a producer, writer and consultant. He joined the AbelCine LA rental department in 2008 and quickly became the department manager.

Jeff began his career at the Oscar-nominated FX and editorial house Rock Paper Scissors, where he worked with top-level directors on feature film and commercial projects and gained valuable expertise in Avid and post supervision.

Jeff then moved to ThomasWinterCooke, Inc., where he worked as a producer and treatment writer on top commercial campaigns for BBDO, Chiat Day, JWT and Leo Burnett. While at TWC, Jeff also played an integral part in the development of propriety branded content networks for McDonald’s and other top brands. After leaving TWC, Jeff went on to work as a freelance writer on large campaigns for Mercedes, Toyota, Exxon Mobil, Geico, Lexus, Guitar Hero, among others.

Jerrod Haarstad – Director of West Coast Sales / Burbank

Jerrod joined AbelCine as a member of the sales team in 2004. Working his way up from DV Sales to Production Sales, he was named the Director of West Coast Sales in early 2012.

He was born and raised in Oregon and moved to Los Angeles in 2000. Jerrod’s background in the entertainment industry includes working as a producer and camera operator on short films and features.

Jerrod served in the US Air Force for four years, stationed in San Antonio, Texas for the majority of this time. After leaving the Air Force, he attended Oregon State University. Upon graduating, Jerrod managed a small retail business in Texas and worked as a Budget Analyst for the County Government.

Kari Hess – Head of Production Sales / Chicago

Kari Hess is a former news photographer turned sales associate with 19 years of experience in the acquisition side of our industry. Approaching her job from a solid base of practical experience, Kari has taught industry seminars and private classes on subjects ranging from “ENG Field Lighting” to “Choosing The Proper HD Camera Package” to groups small and large.

Kari, a graduate of the University of Iowa’s Communication, Broadcasting and Film program, joined the AbelCine team in 2008. She heads up AbelCine’s Midwestern Production Sales from their newest regional location in Chicago.

Toni Rios – Business Development | Financing

Toni Rios has been providing financing to AbelCine clients for 15 years, initially through Prolease, a company she founded in 1987. Prolease financed capital equipment of all kinds for a national clientele.

In 2006 she left Prolease (which is now run by her husband as Numerica Capital), to join AbelCine and help launch AbelCine Finance Services.

Toni’s role at AbelCine expanded in 2009 to include business development. In this capacity, she nurtures strategic relationships with West Coast clients and vendors.

Toni attended San Francisco State University, where she studied Music and Linguistics. She then opened Rios Fine Art, which published prints and represented artists across the country.

Andy Shipsides – Training Department Manager / Camera Technology Specialist

Andy Shipsides joined AbelCine in 2007. Andy is AbelCine New York’s Camera Technology Specialist and Training Department Manger. He also serves as the technical editor of AbelCine’s blog, CineTechnica.

Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Andy received his Bachelors of Science in Digital Arts & Sciences from the University of Florida. He received his MFA in Film & Television from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

His thesis film Bottleneck received a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007. Andy was also a finalist for the 2007 Student Academy Awards. Recently, he directed a music video for Lin McEwan’s song Now I Know, which won OnStage.com’s award for Best Pop Music Video.

Gala Napakh – Human Resources Manager

Gala Napakh joined AbelCine as the Human Resources Manager in June of 2007. Gala comes from a diverse professional background that includes finance and music management.

With over a decade of experience in the HR field, Gala previously held HR positions at Vibe Magazine, Spin Magazine and Register.com. Gala attended CUNY Baruch, majoring in Finance, and is a member of SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management).

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